Cyclone Biparjoy is likely to make landfall today evening
Nearly one lakh people have been shifted to shelters from Gujarat's coastal region ahead of cyclone Biparjoy's expected landfall in Kutch district this evening. Red and Orange alerts have been issued in several districts of the state.
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At present, cyclone Biparjoy is about 85 km from the Gujarat coast. It will cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi and Karachi near Jakhau Port between 6 pm and midnight, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Classified as a "very severe cyclonic storm" of category 3, Biparjoy is likely to carry a maximum wind speed of 115-125 kmph, it said. The wind speed is likely to pick up in the afternoon, it added.
"VSCS Biparjoy over Northeast Arabian Sea at 0230 hours IST of 15th June, 2023 about 200 km west-southwest of Jakhau Port (Gujarat). To cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi and Karachi near Jakhau Port by evening of 15th June as a VSVS," IMD said in its latest update on the cyclone.
The weather office added that the intensity of rain will increase as cyclone Biparjoy approaches the coast, with isolated places in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts likely to witness extremely heavy rainfall. The administration has shifted people from nearly 120 villages located between zero and 10 km from the seashore in Kutch district.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired a meeting today to review the preparedness for cyclone at the State Emergency Operation Center in Gandhinagar. So far nearly one lakh people have been moved to temporary shelters in eight coastal districts of Kutch, Jamnagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Devbhumi Dwarka, Junagadh, Porbandar and Gir Somnath, the government has said.
Eighteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 12 of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), 115 teams of state road and building department, and 397 of the state electricity department have been deployed in different coastal districts.
The Ministry of Defence said that all armed forces including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard have made necessary preparation to provide assistance to the local people of Gujarat.
Fishing activities have been suspended till tomorrow (June 16), ports are shut and ships are anchored as the sea turned turbulent and weather became inclement with extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds in the region due to the approaching cyclone.
The Western Railway said 76 trains have been cancelled as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers and train operations. Two most famous temples of Gujarat -- Dwarkadhish Temple in Devbhumi Dwarka and Somnath Temple in Gir Somnath district -- will remain closed on Thursday for devotees, said another release.
A storm surge of about 2-3 metres above the astronomical tide is likely to inundate low-lying areas of the districts that are likely to be affected due to the landfall. The tides could rise up to 3-6 metres in some places, the IMD has said. This will be the second cyclone to hit the state in two years after 'Tauktae' in May 2021.
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